


Galas and Gowns

by annaliesegrace



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-02-29 16:45:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18782170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaliesegrace/pseuds/annaliesegrace
Summary: An invitation to a gala changes everything.Explicit for a reason, folks.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy my first Miggy Explicit fic...I'm a little nervous about this one, they are REALLY hard to write having sex. Like...their personalities are so different, it was a challenge to find a middle ground.

 

 

Juliet Higgins stared at the two tickets in her hand and the letter that accompanied them:

_I won’t be able to make the gala this year, would you and Thomas go in my place?_

It was a simple request really, attend a silent auction and gala on Robin Masters behalf, the gala was held once a year at the Sheridan and proceeds benefitted multiple local charities. Usually Robin attended, but this year he was on a book tour and wanted someone to represent him since he’d donated items for the auction. He’d even asked Juliet to bid on several items he was interested in.

Slapping the tickets across her palm she got up from her desk and walked over to the guest house, unsurprised to see the patio doors wide open, Magnum sitting on the couch, watching…a baseball game?

“Baseball?” she asked, and if she wasn’t confusing the olde English D for something else, it was his beloved Tigers on TV.

Magnum looked at her with a wide, excited grin. “Yes! They are playing the Yankees in Detroit in a 163rd game to determine who goes to the playoffs as a wild card. It’s a national game on at 7 eastern so I can see it here!”

She gaped at him. “Barely a word of that was English, Magnum.”

“You really want me to explain it?” he asked after taking a long drink of beer.

“Not particularly,” she deadpanned. “I can come back later.”

“No, no…its fine. What’s up?”

Juliet smiled at his enthusiasm, since Hannah’s death, he’d pulled away a little, lost in his grief and pain, a little sullener and more withdrawn than his usual upbeat demeanor. She understood, better than most, how he had been feeling and had not brought it up except to express he could come to her if he needed. Up to that point he had not but that hadn’t stopped her from keeping an eye on him.

Waving the tickets she explained, “The gala that Robin usually attends?” Magnum nodded. “It’s next weekend and he won’t be able to make it, he asked if we could go in his place. His donation this year is a full set of the White Knight series, signed and an afternoon with him. Thought the next best thing would be the actual “White Knight” there for the auction. We even get to bid on some items.”

Magnum’s eyebrows raised with amusement. “Oooo, spending someone else’s money? Sounds good to me.”

“Excellent. Be ready by 5:30 pm. And Thomas? Black Tie.”

He winked. “Got that covered.”

As she turned to go he spoke again. “Beer?”

It had been the first time he’d asked her to hang out since Hannah, there was no way she could say no. “I suppose, are you going to attempt to explain this game to me?”

“Mmmm…probably.”

At least he was honest.

“Fine,” she sighed in feigned annoyance, though spending time with him was not nearly as frustrating and onerous as it once had been. Juliet would almost admit she enjoyed his company. Accepting the beer he’d retrieved from the fridge, she sat on the opposite end of the couch from him.

By the end of the two-hour game she knew more than she ever needed about baseball: the shift, switch hitters, blocking the plate, the infield fly rule and even the dreaded designated hitter (which, inexplicably, only applied to half the teams), but she also got a good sense of how Magnum was doing. He seemed to be healing, slow as it was. During the game, and while explaining it to her, he was back to his old self, joking, laughing, smiling more than he had.

It was good to see, Juliet was a little less worried.

“All right,” she said while standing. “Congratulations to the Tigers, may their playoff run be…fruitful.” Pointing to the bottles they had amassed on the table she continued, “Need help cleaning up?”

“No, I got it,” he said while standing, picking up a couple as he did. “I’m ok, Juliet.”

“Hmmm?” she said, pausing her steps.

“You spent most of the game eying me, I’m….ok. Really.”

Busted, she looked down a moment before meeting his eyes. “What happened, Magnum, was…traumatic. I don’t expect you to be ok right away, and likely not for a while. I just want to be sure you’re healing. And, as I said, if you need someone to talk to…”

“I have someone,” he admitted quietly.

“Oh.” She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, it had no place here. But she’d thought, ultimately, he would come to her. “Good.”

“A…professional.”

Now that was unexpected.

He continued, “What you said in the hospital, about professionals making a career out of me. I decided maybe I should see one, you know? Someone impartial to the situation who could help me sort out my feelings.”

She reached a hand out and touched his forearm, her eyes meeting his. “Good for you. I mean that.”

Nodding he smiled a little. “Could we, uh, keep that between us for now? I’m not embarrassed or anything but I don’t want the guys to know just yet.”

“Of course,” she said and squeezed his arm. “It stays between us.”

Magnum gave her a small smile and she nodded in return, turning back to walk to the main house, calling back to him as she did, “Five thirty sharp, Thomas!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Came back from the guest house.

Juliet smiled.

 

Settling his hat in the crook of his arm, Magnum walked toward the main house. Checking his watch he noted he was fifteen minutes early. Perfect.

The doors were opened so he strolled into the kitchen, ate a banana quickly since he knew it would be several hours before dinner, then wandered toward the study - Higgins voice was wafting down the hall.

“Yes, that would be fine, thank you…yes. Of course.”

As he walked into the room she set the phone down on the desk, her back was to him and Magnum froze in place. Because he was staring at her very smooth, very bare back. The dress was not the typical Higgins fare; oh no, this was floor length, the material smooth (likely silk) and hugged every curve, halter style so her back was uncovered to her waist except for a thin sparkly string that hung from her neck halfway down between her shoulder blades.

His mouth went dry for a second and he shook his head, trying to break the spell. And then she turned around to face him. The dress was low-cut but not obscenely so, just enough in his opinion.

It was sapphire blue and brought out the color of her eyes, contrasting beautifully against her pale skin. A small diamond pendant hung around her neck, resting just below her collarbone.

She looked stunning.

“-dress uniforms,” she finished and Magnum realized he’d missed her sentence.

“Sorry, what?”

She frowned. “I was just complimenting the Navy dress uniforms, they are quite sharp.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Are you all right?” Her head titled a little with concern.

“Yes, fine, sorry. You look…lovely. It’s a good color for you.”

Her hands ran across the waist of the dress. “Thank you, Thomas. Its not my usual style but I quite like it.”

Higgins picked up her phone, dropped it into a small handbag and walked toward him, exposing a slit at the front of the dress that went up to mid-thigh. Clearly, she was trying to kill him.

 

The ride to the gala consisted of mostly small talk, Higgins reminding him of the charities it supported and who would be there (there were quite a few politicians and a couple Hollywood actors who lived on island). In short order the door was being opened by the valet at the Sheridan and he got out first, offering Higgins his arm as he put on his hat. She graced him with a wide smile and took the offered arm, looping her hand under it and grasping the inside of his elbow as she stepped out of the car.

It was one of the biggest fundraisers of the year so each of the local news channels had a reporter flanking the carpet that led to the ballroom. With her arm still firmly nestled in his elbow he led them swiftly past the reporters and to a woman armed with a tablet standing at the door.

Higgins handed over the tickets. “Juliet Higgins and Thomas Magnum on behalf of Robin Masters.”

The woman clicked something on the tablet and took the tickets. “Welcome, you will be at table twelve, please have all auction bids in by 11 pm, dinner will be served at 7. Enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you,” Thomas said and guided her forward through the double doors.

The room was decorated in all white, from the tablecloths to the centerpieces of white flowers to the white twinkling lights wound with gauzy material draped strategically around the space. There was a large dance floor and a string band was playing a low, slow number as people arrived; the bar was on the far side of the dance floor, the auction items closest to them.

“Drink?” he suggested.

“Yes, please,” she agreed and followed him toward the bar.

As Thomas collected their drinks (wine for her, beer for him) and handed her the wine glass he nodded at the room and said, “Never been to one of these, you?”

Higgins took a drink before answering cagily, “Not as an invited guest, no.”

Now that intrigued him and Thomas realized, the situation with Richard and Viper aside, he didn’t really know all that much about Juliet before Hawaii except she was MI6 and disavowed.

“Care to explain?” he asked.

She smiled at him. “No, not really.”

He laughed.

With ease they wandered around the room together, stopping to speak to a few people they tangentially knew (the Prosecutor for the HPD looked less than thrilled to see him), and several people stopped Thomas to inquire about his service. As he often did, Thomas deflected to a certain extent, very rarely mentioning he was a SEAL because that tidbit often resulted in questions he preferred not to answer.

Several guests guessed he was _that_ Thomas Magnum who was the basis for the White Knight series – Robin had mentioned him at previous auctions. It wasn’t like it was a secret by any means, it just surprised him that Robin spoke of him often enough people knew who he was.

As they moved closer to the auction area Juliet leaned into Magnum, her breath tickling his cheek, it sent a shiver down his spine. “I’m going to find the items Robin wanted me to bid on, all right?”

“Sure,” he replied with a wide smile.

Magnum watched her walk away for just a moment, appreciating once again how drop dead gorgeous she looked in the dress. For just a brief second he had the vision of peeling her _out_ of the dress.

_No, nope. Do not go there right now, Thomas._

This evening might be a little more challenging than he expected. Finishing his beer, he set the empty bottle on a passing waiter’s tray before heading to the bar for a second.

 

Wandering down the line of auction items, Juliet quickly found the two Robin had wanted her to bid on, neither of which made any real sense to her but quietly she filled out the slips and placed them in the boxes in front of each item.

Turning around she easily spotted Thomas, his stark white uniform stood out amongst the black tuxes, talking to a tall man, his hands flailing around while telling a story, the man was laughing.

She took the unobserved moment to look at him. The uniform did look _good_ on him, Higgins could admit, she wasn’t blind. And combined with that lethal smile he was sporting, it caused a warm sensation to pool in her belly, one she hadn’t felt in a very long time. While he frequently irritated her to no end, more often than not she enjoyed his company. They’d grown closer since Hannah’s death, losing someone they had planned to spend their lives with gave them a unique shared experience. And now that she knew he was speaking to someone about it gave her new respect for him, it took a strong person to reach out for help, she hadn’t.

Before she got caught staring (which would certainly end in never ending jokes at her expense), Juliet turned back toward the auction items, making sure there was nothing she was interested in. It was for charity after all and Juliet had substantial savings since she spent nearly nothing of her salary from Robin.

As she was debating a year of private yoga lessons Thomas all but bounded up to her side.

“They have a baseball game at the stadium of your choice!” he said lowly but was unable to contain his excitement. “Airfare and hotel included, VIP tickets, get on the field before the game.”

She’d noticed it earlier. “Really?”

“I’d love to see the Tigers in Detroit. It’s something else.”

Before she could respond the MC announced dinner was starting and they made their way to the table, Thomas holding out her chair as she sat.

_Charming, too._

Dinner was three courses, starting with soup, then salad and finally, plated chicken, as they finished the MC came back to the stage, gave a short speech and opened the floor up to dancing.

Juliet relaxed back into her seat, taking another drink of her second glass of wine. Thomas had moved closer to her, his arm slung across the back of her chair, hand perilously close to her bare shoulder. The temptation to lean into him was fleeting but incredibly strong.

Abruptly Magnum stood, his hand brushed her arm as he did, sending an unexpected jolt of _something_ through her body, and held out a hand.

“Would you like to dance?”

For a moment she looked at him, unsure, but then put her hand in his and smiled. “All right.”

As Thomas led them to the dance floor Juliet felt a spark where their hands still met, the air around them seemed to shift and change.

The song playing was slow, so Thomas guided them to an open area of the dance floor and wrapped one arm around her waist, careful that his hand stayed firmly on the smooth silk of her dress. The other hand held hers firm at shoulder height, Juliet slipped her free arm around his neck and they started swaying.

They were a respectable distance apart, but she could feel the space between them cackling with energy urging her to close the space, to press her body against his like all the other couples on the dance floor.

But she didn’t because that was not what they did.

_But why not_ , her brain asked.

After a few minutes, Thomas started to move them in more than slow circles, leading her gently across the floor.

The feel of him holding her was starting to go to her head just a little. “You are full of surprises.”

“I try,” he said lowly and she felt his fingers moving slowly against the silk of her dress, pulling her just a bit closer but not yet touching. She met his eyes and they seemed darker than usual and she knew he was feeling what she was, the electricity between them, the urge to be _closer_. The sensation surprised her but at the same time she wanted to give in, to let him hold her tight as they spun around.

She could tell he did to.

 

Asking her to dance had seemed like a good idea at the time but now, with her so very close he wondered if he’d made a huge mistake. There was a tug in his chest, one that wanted him to press her as close to his body as possible, to feel her curves against him, to touch exposed skin.

Despite his best efforts to keep it friendly, platonic even, as he led her slowly around the floor, Higgins following him perfectly, he felt the air around them change, become heavy with curiosity, tension of things left unsaid (but felt) and maybe a little want. He wanted to touch her, wanted to find out what she would do (slapping him was not off the table despite what he saw in her blue eyes) if he gave in and pulled her against him.

The song changed, the tempo sped up just a bit and Magnum felt bold so he pushed her out gently before spinning her back, using the momentum to pull her body flush to his, the hand that had oh-so-carefully remained on her dress finding the exposed skin of her lower back.

In his arms, Juliet sucked in a breath and dug her fingers into the collar of his jacket, pressing her cheek to his, her breath hot against his skin, body taught with anticipation. If the air was thick between them before, it was stifling now. All he wanted was to continue to hold her like this, a frozen moment in time that he was convinced would go no farther. But, oh, he wanted it to go farther, had for a while now if he was being honest – and he had been with his therapist – but fear had held him back. Fear of rejection, fear of not being rejected and losing her somehow, fear of never having tried. But now, with her still in his arms, holding as tight to him as he was to her, Magnum felt emboldened.

With a side glance at her, he moved his hand up her spine slowly, letting his fingers lead and trace the skin over her spine, he felt her breath hitch as he reached the base of her neck and continued to touch across her shoulder and back again down her spine where his hand rested at her lower back, fingers splayed around her waist.

“Thomas?” Her voice was thick and he loved how his name sounded.

“Yes?” he asked while guiding the hand he had been holding to his neck so her arms circled him and released it, letting his fingers trace down her arm, then her side, skimming her ribs before meeting his other hand on her back, effectively wrapping her in his arms.

In that moment Juliet relaxed against him, her cheek pressing into his, eyes fluttering closed.

A quick glance around the room revealed no one had noticed them as he’d guided her into a corner of the dance floor where they swayed together for an indeterminate amount of time. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest with anticipation.

Eventually he pulled his head back and gently nudged her with his nose. Slowly she turned her head to look at him and Magnum nearly lost his mind, she was slightly flushed, lips parted, and her eyes…oh, her eyes were wide with what he could only describe as desire.

Licking his lips (which her eyes followed with interest), Magnum spoke, his voice low, “Do you want to stop?”

“No, I don’t think-“ she paused and looked at him so intently it felt like she could see his soul before saying more firmly, “No.”

“Good,” he whispered and let his hands wander leisurely across the skin of her back. As he did her fingers dug pleasantly into the nape of his neck. Their eyes remained locked on each other, longing growing with each beat of the music.

While it would be a lie to say he expected the night to go this way; Thomas could admit he’d slowly started recognizing his more than friends’ feelings for her since she’d agreed to be his business partner. No…it was after they were dumped in the Pacific and he almost lost her on that atoll. That was the moment he realized how deep his feelings went.

And he’d been terrified since that she didn’t feel the same.

“Juliet, I-“ He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to say and instead let his eyes wander to her red-stained lips.

Throwing caution to the wind, he closed the miniscule gap that existed between them and kissed her gently. For half a second he expected her to pull away, yell at him, maybe even stalk off, instead she kissed him back and it was electric between them, one touch and he wanted more, so much more and it seemed so did she if her body pressed tight against his was any indication.

As the kiss grew more heated, Higgins moaned quietly, her fingers gripping his hair at the nape of his neck.

Suddenly she pulled away and glanced around the room, still no one seemed to be paying them any mind but it was clear she was a little worried they’d garnered attention.

“I think it might be time to call it a night,” she said with a mischievous grin.

His eyebrows rose. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, very,” she said and unwound her arms from his neck, grasping his hand and guiding him from the dance floor toward the doors, Magnum hot on her heels.

 

As they stood side by side at the valet stand, Juliet had a moment of doubt that what they were about to do was reckless and would ruin the relationship they had forged. But then he wrapped his arm around her waist, thumb stroking skin and the doubt evaporated.

The longer it took the car to come around the more antsy she became, moving to stand directly in front of him, hands going to the buttons on his jacket, playing with them.

“I do so love a man in uniform,” she whispered and looked at him a second before moving her hands up his chest stopping just short of his collarbone. Magnum swallowed and took a deep breath in.

“Car’s here,” he said a little shakily and Juliet grinned at the effect she’d had on him.

Juliet turned as Magnum stepped away from her, opening the car door, and she slid smoothly across the seat so he could get in next to her. Which he did, far closer then they had been on the drive to the gala.

“Back to the Nest?” the driver asked.

“Yes,” Thomas said and wound her fingers with his.

While the passion that had started between them with the kiss had cooled somewhat, Juliet was still buzzing. As if sensing her mood, Thomas lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles one by one, his gaze firmly on her.

Fire raced up her arm and for a moment Juliet felt lightheaded. Oh, it had been so long since she’d felt like this. Shifting slightly, she crossed her legs right at the slit in the dress, allowing the material to fall to side, exposing her legs halfway up her thigh.

Magnum swallowed and placed his other hand on her knee; Juliet squirmed a little from the touch and the spark it sent up her spine.

Seemingly pleased with himself, Magnum leaned over and kissed a spot just below her ear. Again, she fidgeted and sighed, letting her head drop back onto the seat, exposing her throat. Part of her brain was struggling with the fact this was _Magnum,_ but the other part didn’t care because what he was doing felt so good.

He was kissing the column of her neck slowly, almost torturously while the hand that had been on her knee slipped up the outside of her thigh. She sighed happily.

“I better stop,” he whispered into her ear. “Otherwise the driver is going to get one hell of a show.”

Reality snapped back and Juliet raised her head, a little embarrassed at how far they had already gone with someone else in the car. He smiled at her, clearly amused and sat back, but kept her hand firmly in his.

After a while his voice cut through the quiet car. “Finally.”

Robin’s Nest loomed before them and in short order she had opened the gates from her phone and they were bidding the driver good night. For a moment there was awkward silence, Juliet suddenly panicked that maybe he had changed his mind.

“Which way?” he asked, leaving the decision up to her.

Wordlessly she took his hand and led him toward the guest house, it was more private, no Kumu to potentially run into.

By the time they were standing outside his door, Juliet was ready to divest him of his uniform as fast as possible so in the darkness of his front patio she got bold and slipped between him and the hardwood door as he was trying to get the key into the lock, fingers starting to work the gold buttons on his jacket while kissing the underside of his jaw. He fumbled with the key a little and swore under his breath, she laughed into his neck.

“Thomas.”

“Yes,” he sighed out.

“Having trouble with the door?” she asked all innocence. “Can’t…multitask?” She was baiting him and they both knew it but damn if it didn’t turn her (and him) on.

He nipped her lower lip. “I’ll show you multitasking.”

The last button was undone, and her hands slipped over his t-shirt covered abs. “Not if you don’t open the door.”

With those words the world fell out from behind her and they stumbled through the now open door, his hands the only thing keeping her from falling to the floor. Faintly she was aware of him slamming the door closed and then she was pressed against the wall next to the door, his hands gripping her waist tightly, lips crashing into each other and his tongue looking for entrance to her mouth. Which she gave, easily.

As with all things with them it turned into a battle, their tongues dancing, fighting for control, neither a clear winner – not that they wanted to stop trying. Breaths were taken briefly between frantic kisses. His jacket dropped loudly to the floor at her feet.

“Up,” he panted. “Up, up…”

Finally, his meaning broke through her desire hazed brain and she let go of his biceps (when had she grabbed them?) so he could lead her up to his bedroom.

It was there that reality seemed to crash into them a little bit and Thomas turned to look at her, one hand cupping her cheek, concern in his eyes. She could sense the hesitation, this would change everything, they both knew that and Juliet appreciated him pausing so they didn’t make a decision in the heat of the moment and regret it later. Far, far too much was on the line.

“Are you sure?”

The concern in his voice had Juliet’s fondness for him grow in spades; he was a good man, one of the best she’d come across, no matter how much grief she gave him. And God help her, it made her want him even more.

Licking her lips, she slipped her hand under his t-shirt, letting her fingers caress his abs. “Very.” Her hand moved up, taking the shirt with it. “Very.” Then she was pulling it over his head, tossing it into a corner. “Sure.”

Magnum was staring at her with unconcealed lust and she leaned forward, kissing him hard, teeth nipping at his lower lip, tongue pressing into his mouth.

The fire sparked again and in short order they were panting, pulling apart only long enough to take deep breaths before coming back together. Hands were everywhere, in his hair, on her back, gripping her neck to keep her in place as he kissed her senseless; her nails scratched his back gently.

When his lips left hers she whined for the barest of seconds, until they began kissing her jaw, then down her neck, across her collarbone, tongue dipping into the well at her throat.

“Beautiful,” he muttered and moved his hands to her neck, deftly unhooking the clasp of her dress, letting the two parts of the halter fall.

Juliet let her head fall back as his lips found her breasts, kissing the skin he found but studiously avoiding her nipples. Instead he placed a kiss on her breastbone before nipping at her throat.

So distracted by his touch, Juliet was only barely aware when the rest of her dress swished to the floor, leaving her bare to him. She shuddered when his hands found her hips and started guiding her back toward the bed while he continued to kiss her senseless.

When the back of her knees bumped the mattress, it jolted her back to awareness enough that she realized he still had pants on.

Determined to remedy the situation, her hands went to his buckle, but he’d worked her into such a desperate, frenzied state that she struggled with it, fingers shaking with frustration.

Silently his hands pushed hers away and he undid the buckle and button on his pants at which point she took over, unzipping and pulling down the material along with his boxers. When her hand grazed him while she did Magnum shuddered and moaned, and Juliet grinned.

Then he looked at her with dark eyes and gently pushed her down onto the bed. As he crawled up her body, careful not to touch, Juliet squirmed under him, she couldn’t remember feeling so desperate and needy before, he seemed to know exactly how to play her body.

A strangled “Magnum” was in her throat but was cut off when his lips found the juncture of her neck and shoulders, kissing her gently. When his hand found the outside of her thigh she all but jumped out of her skin and Magnum laughed a little into her neck.

Juliet arched off the bed, frantic to feel his body which he continued to hold above her.

“Thomas,” she all but whined. Part of her was frustrated, irritated even at this game he seemed to be playing but the other part, oh, the other part was enjoying the mounting need it produced, the out of control way it made her feel.

“Yes, Juliet?” he asked and his hand moved from the outside of her thigh up her side as he shifted and settled in next to her on the bed, his hand the only physical connection they had, firmly on her waist. More, she needed more and said his name with a desperate tone.

But he continued to taunt her, his lips just brushing her ear. “What do you want?” he asked but moved his hand across her abdomen, then up between her breasts and down again, inching closer to her center.

Instinctively she arched her hips up as his fingers grazed her mound.

“Oh!” she cried and turned toward him, kissing him firmly on the lips. Juliet was not one to beg, but she did, he was torturing her and she needed him to stop…start…whatever so she panted, “Please…please…” while her fingers gripped onto the bedsheets, hips chasing his hand which remained firmly above where she wanted.

Juliet thought she heard him mumble something, but it was then his fingers found her center and she cried out in relief at the touch. He started slowly, circling her, pressing hard, then soft then hard again and his lips sucked at her neck, likely leaving marks but she didn’t care. It was bliss.

It didn’t take long before the familiar sensation started to rise in her belly and she started moaning. His lips captured hers as his fingers increased speed just enough and swallowed her cry as she broke, arching high off the bed into his hand, one of her hands released the sheet and gipped his hair tightly as she came down from one of the hardest orgasms she’d ever had.

“Oh, God,” she whispered into his lips as he pulled his hand away. She was momentarily sated but still needed him all the same; an ache remained between her thighs.

Moving to her side to face him, one of her hands reached between them and gently stroked him. Magnum groaned.

“Don’t…don’t do that,” he pushed out and reached behind him into his night table, pulling out a foil package.

It was her turn. “Why not, Thomas? Turnabout is fair play.”

He eyed her. “If you want this to continue I’d stop.”

Frowning she released him but licked at his neck while he fumbled opening the condom.

“Having trouble?” she asked and bit his earlobe.

The taunting made his hands moved faster, and he quickly opened the packet and slipped the condom on before guiding her onto her back and hovering.

For a long moment they stared at each other and then she reached up, kissing him firmly.

One of his hands cupped her cheek and he pressed into her, eliciting a long, satisfied sigh from her lips.

It didn’t take long for them to find a rhythm with each other, her hands finding purchase on his back while he bracketed her head with his arms, peppering her neck and jaw with kisses. Their moans and sighs filled the room.

“Magnum,” she hissed as her pleasure grew at an astounding speed, his hips snapping into hers at just the right angle.

“Come on, girl,” he whispered in her ear.

She thrashed under him, fingernails digging into his back as she went higher and higher and suddenly snapped, crying out his name among other less than savory things. He laughed a little at her language and then kissed her as he pressed into her harder and groaned, shuddering above her.

Magnum kissed her shoulder and slipped off the bed, disappearing into the bathroom – Juliet watched him go, smiling a little at his naked rear.

Burrowing under the blankets, Juliet sighed with contentment before the bed dipping alerted her to his return and she watched him crawl under the blanket, lying on his side, staring at her. His hand reached out and stroked her shoulder and arm.

“You ok?” he asked with a grin. “You’re awfully quiet.”

She smiled back. “Yes… _yes_. It’s just…”

“A little weird?” he laughed.

“Yes!” she said then, sheepishly, “Is that wrong?”

Magnum shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. It’s a big change…for us.”

She snuggled closer to him, fingers tracing his collarbone. “It was indeed. A good change, I think?”

“Oh, definitely,” he agreed.

The heat between her legs was starting to return, which surprised her, with a sly grin she let her fingers wander up his neck, across that strong jawline and then swept her thumb across his lower lip while pressing her body into his, her intentions clear. 

Magnum groaned and kissed the pad of her thumb. “Little break here, Higgy.”

She pouted a little but scooted back, allowing him to lie back and her to curl into his side, arm flung across his chest, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. As she started to drift off, Juliet felt a kiss dropped onto the top of her head.

Yes, this has the potential to be very good.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its the morning after. Its so, so, so, so very late but better than never, right? I'm so sorry.  
> More notes at bottom.

Birds were chirping and the sun was bright through the cracks in the curtains when a now very familiar hand pressed on her lower back, sliding around her waist and back again at a leisurely pace. Juliet was lying on her stomach in Magnum’s bed, sheets just covering her rear but no higher, still naked from the night before. Feeling impetuous, she wiggled her butt at him, which caused her bedmate to groan a little.

“Rested up?” she asked into the pillow sarcastically and laughed when he nibbled the skin at her shoulder.

The laughter died quickly, however, when she felt his entire body press against her side, his hand snaking between her and the bed to cup her partially exposed breast.

She sucked in a deep breath.

“Very much so,” he said huskily into her ear and dear god if that didn’t go straight to her core; heat quickly rose in her body and she _needed_ him…badly.

As she tried to roll over, Magnum physically stopped her, using his very naked body to pin her gently to the bed, his hand still gently caressing her breast, fingers just ghosting over her nipple. For just a moment she struggled against him but then his lips found her neck and she sighed, melting into the bed under him. Somehow, he’d figured out in less than twelve hours how to play her body. Juliet wasn’t sure if she was annoyed or impressed.

When his tongue lapped at her neck, nipping gently at her jaw she knew…impressed.

But Juliet had also learned some things about him as well and she pressed her rear against his thighs, pressing her chest (and his hand with it) into the bed and slowly rubbing herself against him.

It was enough to distract him and before he could stop her, Juliet pushed back, reversing their positions so he was flat on his back and she was astride his waist, grinning.

His hands wrapped around her waist. “Couldn’t let me be in control, could you?”

Eyes narrowed, she leaned down, brushing her chest against his. “You were yesterday, as I recall. My turn.”

He grinned. “Not sure I can argue that.”

“Then don’t,” she whispered and leaned in, kissing him gently before pressing her tongue against his lips, he allowed her access but unlike the battle of the night before, it was slow, exploratory, their tongues tangling and Juliet whined into his mouth when his hands glided to her thighs.

Eventually she came up for breath, only to press her lips to his neck, nipping gently at the skin as she roamed his neck. Magnum’s hands were spanning her back, pulling her body down to him, fingers digging into her skin.

She resisted his pull, pushing her back against his hands and biting a little more aggressively at his shoulder to make the point she was in charge.

Magnum laughed under her, a deep, wonderful sound. It made her want him desperately, so she slowly slid her hips down his body.

“Night table,” he said and reached with one hand.

Juliet paused a moment and regarded him.

“I…” she started a little nervously. “It’s been a while Magnum and I have an IUD.”

His mouth opened a little in surprise. “Me too…well, not the IUD obviously…but it’s been a while and I’m…yeah. Ok?”

It was awkward and a little funny, but it endeared him to her even more. There were few people in her life that made her laugh like he did.

She nodded. “Ok…”

And slipped down onto him, they both groaned at the same time and after a moment Juliet started to move, slowly at first but it wasn’t long before they were moving in sync, panting, groaning, Magnum reaching up to kiss her between thrusts. When she finally started to lose control, Juliet dug her fingers into his chest, her eyes locked to his so fiercely she didn’t even notice his hand slip between them and find her clit.

She gave a little shout and her movements stuttered as he rubbed her.

“Ohhhh,” she cried as she moved up and down while he kept his hand firmly in place. “Thomas…Thomas…I….”

Right there, she was _right there_ and then he did…something and she broke, loudly crying out his name and falling against his chest, spent.

Before she could even catch her breath, he’d wrapped an arm around her waist and flipped them around so her back was pressed into the mattress, one of his hands on the back of her thigh, keeping her open for him while he came, groaning her name into her neck as he did.

When he relaxed against her, Juliet became _very_ aware of how sweaty they’d become.

As he stopped panting, Magnum gave her a lingering kiss.

“Hungry?” he asked and her stomach picked that moment to growl. He laughed into her hair, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“What time is it?” she asked and looked around for a clock, not finding one.

“Hang on,” he said and reached over her and the bed, pulling his phone from the pocket of the pants that had been hastily discarded the night before. “Eight thirty am,” he groaned and slumped against her.

“It’s not that early, Magnum. You _were_ in the military.”

He lifted his head from beside her waist where it had landed and opened one eye. “I’m not anymore.”

“Food, Magnum.” She reminded him and he got a devious gleam in his eye as he rose to his elbows, placing a kiss in the space just below her belly button.

“You look pretty tasty to me,” he said into the skin and looked up at her.

_Lord help her_ , she thought as she started to warm again, _this man was dangerous._

Her stomach rumbled, louder this time and he laughed, his head falling to her belly in defeat.

“Ok, food,” he agreed and got up, pulling on a pair of loose shorts and faded Tigers t-shirt.

Immediately she realized a problem. “I don’t have clothes.”

Magnum paused and looked her exposed body over. “Well, nothing I have will fit…but…” he said and disappeared into the bath, returning with a white fluffy robe.

Happy to not have to walk downstairs naked or back in her dress, she took it gratefully, only pausing when she saw the hotel logo on the front.

“You stole this from the Maika’i!”

“No, they _gave_ it to us.”

“No…you stole it since the room was-“

He cut her off with a kiss. “Are you really going to argue about that now?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“Good,” he said. “I’ll start breakfast.”

She nodded and got out of bed as he wandered downstairs, picking up her dress and lying it over a chair, frowning at the wrinkles her carelessness had caused before wandering into the bathroom.

 

When she finally made it into the kitchen, coffee was already done and Magnum was pulling eggs from the fridge, bacon sizzling away on the stove.

“How do you like your eggs?” he asked as she sat on a barstool at the counter.

“Over easy.”

He nodded and set about making them.

When a cup of coffee and cream and sugar were set in front of her, Juliet gave him a soft smile but worried at her cup, suddenly unsure about what this all meant.

“Just say it,” he said while tossing some butter into a warm pan, watching it sizzle and melt.

“What?” she asked and doctored the coffee appropriately.

“I can practically hear you thinking. What is it?”

Stalling a bit, she took a sip of the coffee. “I guess I was wondering…what this was?”

“This?” he asked and used the spatula to indicate the two of them.

She nodded.

He shrugged.

“It’s whatever we want it to be, Higgy. We’re adults, there are no rules about it.” Then, after a moment, “Or it doesn’t have to be anything, I guess. I mean, that’s not what I want. You?”

“No, I want this to be…something.” She was struggling to put it into words and it frustrated her.

A plate with two eggs and bacon was placed in front of her.

“So its something. We can take it slow.” More butter went into the pan, then two more eggs.

She laughed and took a bite of the eggs. “Magnum…considering what we did last night, and this morning, I think slow is already in the rearview mirror.”

Magnum grinned. “Well, there is that. Then…we don’t have to define it yet, ok?”

“All right,” she agreed while finishing up an egg. “But…”

“But what?” he asked and sat next to her with his own plate.

“Maybe can we keep it to ourselves? Just for a little while anyway.”

“Was thinking the same thing actually. Don’t need anyone hassling us and _anyone_ most certainly would.”

“Precisely,” she agreed and finished her meal, waiting as he did as well before speaking again. “I should get back to the main house…”

“Do you have to?” he asked and slipped a hand up her thigh under the robe. “We _could_ stay in bed all day.”

“As much as I would like to do that-“

“Then do,” he said and kissed the spot on her neck just below her ear that drove her crazy.

Quickly she started to melt into his touch, ready to abandon whatever it was she had planned for the day to stay in bed with him. Just as he started to untie the robe, Juliet’s phone rang.

And she realized it had been left by the door where her purse had dropped the night before.

“Shit,” she hissed and hopped off the barstool, hurrying to answer before it stopped.

“It’s Sunday Higgy, who is calling at nine thirty!” Magnum called out behind her. “Come back here.”

But she knew who it might be and did not want to miss the call.

In the nick of time she pressed the green answer button. “Yes, hello.”

 

Magnum watched with amusement as she struggled with the purse, pulling out the phone and answering seemingly just in time.

“Yes. Hello…this is. Yes, I did.” Her face suddenly brightened and now he was _very_ curious about the nature of the call. “I _did_? Oh, that’s fantastic, thank you. Yes, of course, send it to my email. I will take care of it first thing tomorrow. Yes, good day.”

“What was that all about?” he asked when she walked back, phone in hand, looking all the world like the cat who ate the canary.

Juliet stopped directly in front of him, phone clutched in her hands, a sly grin on her face.

“So, I won one of the items I bid on last night.”

His eyes widened. “Great! Which one?”

The grin lit up into a full smile. “The trip to an MLB stadium of your choice.”

His heart started hammering in his chest. 

“You didn’t…” he said, shocked. It could not have been an inexpensive item. “Juliet…that’s too-“

“Don’t you dare tell me it too expensive or too much. It’s a gift, for you. I won’t lie and say it was all me, though, Robin helped. I know the last six months or so have been…rough.” One of her hands came up and cupped his cheek.

Titling his head, he kissed her palm. “Thank you…thank you…”

“You do deserve it Magnum, more than you realize, I think. Take TC or Rick…it’s a trip for two. Enjoy yourself.”

He pretended to think about it a second. “And what if I want to take you?”

“I don’t…I don’t follow baseball Magnum.”

“Not important. I can take you around the city, show you what Detroit is really about. The riverfront, Coney dogs, beer and this great little dessert place in Greektown. Oh! Did you know there is a spot you can take a selfie and get both the US and Canada in the picture? They even have museums…and casinos.”

She rolled her eyes fondly. “I am aware.”

“Then its settled, you’re coming with me.” With that he stood and wrapped her up in his arms, lifting her off the ground so she was forced to wrap her legs around his waist. She was light as a feather, and he started to move toward the stairs.

“Oh, we are so staying in bed all day, I need to thank you…repeatedly.”

Juliet laughed as he carried her up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Detroit related things actually exist, I've been to many a Tigers game and there is a tasty dessert place downtown. So good. If I can come up with enough plot for the Tigers game I may make that the last chapter.
> 
> Thank you all for the wonderful comments, they are appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are great, please leave one if you like and I'll think on another! I might have a "morning after" brewing but not sure...


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